NASA took the precautionary measure because ‘a big coronal mass ejection’ was predicted to hit Mars over the next few days starting March 7, or Martian Sol 207 of the mission, researchers said.

The rover team wants to avoid a repeat of the computer memory glitch that afflicted Curiosity last week, and caused the rover to enter a protective ‘safe mode’.

“The rover was commanded to go to sleep,” says science team member Ken Herkenhoff of the US Geological Survey (USGS).

“Space weather can by nasty!”

This is the 2nd shutdown of the 1 ton robot in a week. Curiosity had just been returned to active status over the weekend.

A full resumption of science operations had been anticipated for next week, but is now on hold pending the outcome of effects from the solar storm explosions.

“We are making good progress in the recovery,” said Mars Science Laboratory Project Manager Richard Cook, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, prior to the new solar flare.

“Storm’s a-comin’! There’s a solar storm heading for Mars. I’m going back to sleep to weather it out,” tweeted Curiosity.

Solar flares cause intense bursts of radiation that can damage spacecraft and also harm space faring astronauts, and require the installation of radiation shielding and hardening on space based assets.

Since Mars lacks a magnetic field, the surface is virtually unprotected from constant bombardment by radiation.

NASA’s other spacecraft exploring Mars were unaffected by the solar eruptions – including the long lived Opportunity rover and the orbiters; Mars Odyssey & Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Curiosity’s First Sample Drilling hole is shown at the center of this image in a rock called “John Klein” on Feb. 8, 2013, or Sol 182 operations. The image was obtained by Curiosity’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI). The sample-collection hole is 0.63 inch (1.6 centimeters) in diameter and 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters) deep. The “mini drill” test hole near it is the same diameter, with a depth of 0.8 inch (2 centimeters). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

The 7 foot (2.1 meter) long robotic arm fed aspirin sized samples of the gray, pulverized powder into a trio of inlet ports atop the rover deck that lead into the miniaturized Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) and Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instruments on Feb. 22 and 23, or Sols 195 and 196.

Meanwhile, NASA has just announced that the science results from these 1st sample analyses will be revealed at a media briefing set for March 12 that will be carried live on NASA TV at 1 PM EDT.

The gray sample tailings were collected on Feb. 8, 2013 (mission Sol 182). Curiosity used the rotary-percussion drill mounted on the tool turret at the terminus of the robotic arm to bore a narrow 0.63 inch (16 mm) wide circular hole about 2.5 inches (64 mm) deep into the ‘John Klein’ outcrop of flat, fine-grained, sedimentary bedrock shot through with mineral veins of Calcium Sulfate that formed in water.

Ever since touchdown, the state of the art robot has generated sensational worldwide interest from the general public and space enthusiasts alike.

The Curiosity science team believes that her current work area at an area called ‘Yellowknife Bay’ experienced repeated percolation of flowing liquid water billions of years ago when Mars was warmer and wetter - and therefore was potentially more hospitable to the possible evolution of life.

Curiosity accomplished Historic 1st drilling into Martian rock at John Klein outcrop on Feb 8, 2013 (Sol 182), shown in this context mosaic view of the Yellowknife Bay basin taken on Jan. 26 (Sol 169) where the robot is currently working. The robotic arm is pressing down on the surface at John Klein outcrop of veined hydrated minerals – dramatically back dropped with her ultimate destination; Mount Sharp. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ken Kremer/Marco Di Lorenzo

Eventually, the six-wheeled mega rover will set off on a nearly year long trek to her main destination – the sedimentary layers of the lower reaches of the 3 mile (5 km) high mountain named Mount Sharp – some 6 miles (10 km) away.

So far Curiosity has snapped over 48,000 images and traveled nearly 0.5 miles.

Curiosity’s goal is to assess whether the Gale Crater area on Mars ever offered a habitable zone conducive for Martian microbial life, past or present.

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Radiation shielding from the Sun can actually be pretty simple done because it is directional. Unlike cosmic rays that comes from any direction except the ground.

All you need is some shielding object that is between the critical components and the Sun. It could be as simple as just rotating the satellite/rover that the most sensitive components are pointed as far away from the sun as possible Or hide behind a rock in the rovers case.